How to Clean Sports Mouth Guards

Participating in high-impact sports like baseball, football and hockey can increase the risk of dental injuries or trauma.¹ That’s where mouth guards come in; these specially designed appliances that fit snugly in your mouth and can absorb or reduce impacts that might occur from contact and collision sports.¹

Learn how to clean a mouth guard, how a mouth guard should fit and how you can use Polident for mouth guard tablets to help clean your guard, so you can keep playing the sports you love.

How Mouth Guards Protect Your Teeth

Mouth guards are dental appliances that come in many forms.² However, sports mouth guards are designed to reduce the chances that you might suffer chipped or knocked-out teeth.² Players of sports with fast-moving projectiles such as basketball, baseball and lacrosse can benefit from wearing a mouth guard every time they practice or play.¹ Other sports where mouth guards are effective at protecting your teeth include:¹

• Combat sports like boxing, wrestling and martial arts
• Close-contact sports like rugby, football and soccer
• Action sports like skateboarding, skiing and surfing
• Hockey (ice and field)
• Gymnastics
• Weightlifting

Your dentist will take impressions of your teeth with putty or a digital wand, and then a technician will fabricate a mouth guard that fits your exact dental anatomy.² Getting custom-made mouth guards can cost more and can take up to two weeks.²

According to the American Dental Association, the most effective mouth guards are made to exacting ANSI/ADA standards.¹ This ensures that sports mouth guards are made from resilient materials, can be properly fitted and adapted to a player’s mouth, cover all the teeth on the upper or lower arches and stay in place comfortably and securely.¹

These standards also ensure that the mouth guards are easy to clean.¹ And with proper care, custom mouth guards can last several years.² When you go in for a dental checkup, bring your mouth guard so that your dental professional can inspect it for cracks or damage.²

How to Clean Mouth Guards

Mouth guards pick up plaque bacteria from your mouth, and this can lead to bad breath, stains and plaque accumulation. Before putting your mouth guard in, brush your teeth thoroughly.² Then, rinse your mouth guard in cool, soapy water or brush it with a toothbrush and toothpaste.³

Be sure to keep your mouth guards clean and dry in between games and practices; you can do this by storing your mouth guard in a sturdy case, which can prevent plaque bacteria from growing.³ Never leave the mouthguard in the sun or in hot water, and keep your mouth guard away from pets, who might play with it as chew toys.³

Can I Use Polident to Clean My Mouth Guard?

It is important to keep your mouth hardware clean, whether they’re retainers, dentures or mouth guards. Polident is effective at quickly cleaning mouth guards, aligners, clear and wired retainers and removable braces—in short, some of the most common mouth hardware that you might use.

Not only does Polident 3-Minute Denture Cleanser kill 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria*, but it cleans without scratching so there’s less places for unwanted plaque bacteria to grow. Before embarking on your sports experience, ask your dental professional if Polident is suitable for your dental appliance.

^{*In laboratory tests, when used as directed}